Statement by Attorney General Tom Horne: “Milke Case will be Appealed”

Phoenix (Friday, March 15, 2013) – Attorney General Tom Horne made the following statement regarding the decision by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals to throw out the death sentence and murder conviction of Debra Milke:

“We will be appealing this decision to the U.S. Supreme Court. If the Court takes the appeal, I will argue it personally as I have done in two previous cases over the past five months. In my last case, the Supreme Court accepted my argument and overruled the Ninth Circuit’s decision unanimously.

In this case, Ms. Milke was found to have arranged the killing of her own son, a four-year-old toddler, because he was too much of a burden and interfering with her life. After dressing him up and telling him he was going to the mall to see Santa Claus, Milke was convicted of sending her young son off to be shot, execution style, in a desert wash.

This is a horrible crime. The Ninth Circuit’s decision needs to be reversed, and justice for Christopher needs to be served.”